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Using your slow cooker is one of the easiest ways to make the best bbq beef. This recipe calls for a nice-sized chuck roast, hickory smoke, beef broth, a variety of seasonings, and of course – bbq sauce! Whether you’re craving bbq beef sandwiches or a delicious topping for mashed potatoes, this is the perfect recipe to try.
A chuck roast can be used to make lots of delicious meals. Enjoy it as Slow Cooker Roasted Garlic Beef Sandwiches or Slow Cooker Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches.
Table of Contents
Why this crock pot bbq beef recipe works
Cooking a chuck roast to pull-apart tender doesn’t take a magic trick, especially when using a crockpot or slow cooker. The secret to cooking the best beef roast lies more in the ingredients you use to pair with it. And this recipe gives you that, and more.
The best part is you’ll most likely have all the ingredients you need on hand, so it simply comes down to purchasing the perfect roast. A good rule of thumb is to pay attention to the marbling. The more marbling, the more tender, juicy, and flavorful your meat will be.
Overall, if you’re a busy family, this is a great meal that can be started in the morning and be ready by dinnertime (thanks to the long cooking time). This easy recipe can be put together in no time and served in many ways. Let’s get cooking!
Recipe Ingredients
- Chuck Roast: You’ll want to choose a beef chuck roast that’s at least 3-4 lbs. in size. This will ensure you have plenty of meat once it’s shredded.
- Seasonings: Brown sugar is an absolute favorite seasoning to use that adds the perfect amount of sweetness. It’s combined with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and chili powder for a spice rub combination.
- Liquid: Worcestershire sauce helps the meat cook to tender and adds delicious flavor while hickory liquid smoke gives it an extra bbq taste. Beef broth serves as the cooking liquid.
- Onion: One sweet yellow onion is slow cooked with the beef.
- Barbeque Sauce: I personally like to use Sweet Baby Ray bbq sauce; however, you can use any flavor and brand of your choice.
Step One – Add the chuck roast to the baking dish of your slow cooker.
Step Two – Sprinkle over the brown sugar, seasonings, and add the diced onion. Pour over the beef broth.
Step Three – Cover and slow cook roast on LOW for 9-10 hours.
Step Four – When the cooking time is up remove the beef onto a plate and shred beef with two forks. Discard any fatty pieces.
Step Five – Before adding the tender chuck roast back to the slow cooker, discard all but a 1/2 cup of the liquid. Add the shredded beef to the slow cooker and add enough barbeque sauce to coat the beef.
Step Six – Mix the sauce to make barbecue beef. Serve on hamburger buns and enjoy!
How to serve BBQ Beef
- One of the tastiest ways to serve slow cooker bbq beef is in the form of beef sandwiches. Top the sandwiches with extra barbecue sauce, sliced onion, dill pickles, and/or a coleslaw mix. You can use hamburger buns, Hawaiian rolls, or French bread.
- This fork tender beef can also be used as toppings for mashed potatoes, lettuce, baked potatoes, or even rice.
- When it comes to sides, bbq recipes like this can be served alongside baked beans, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, or your favorite side to create a delicious meal.
Recipe FAQs and Variations
Of course! Use whatever bbq sauce you prefer. A simple homemade bbq sauce is easy to make using just a few ingredients.
The slow cooking process is long enough to make fork tender shredded beef. It should be tough at all.
Although it has plenty of flavor, some people like to add Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil to the liquid combination.
Place beef in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. This easy meal can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Be sure to let it cool completely before adding it to a freezer safe container. And allow it to defrost before reheating.
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Slow Cooker BBQ Beef
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs. beef chuck roast
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp. hickory liquid smoke
- ½ tsp. chili powder
- 1 sweet yellow onion, diced
- 15 oz. beef broth
- 1-2 cups barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Add the chuck roast to the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle over the brown sugar, seasonings and add the diced onion. Pour over the beef broth.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 9-10 hours.
- When the cooking time is up remove the beef onto a plate and shred with two forks. Discard any fatty pieces.
- Before adding the shredded beef back to the slow cooker, discard all but a 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the shredded beef to the slow cooker and add enough barbecue sauce to coat the beef.
- Serve on hamburger buns and enjoy!
Sarah’s Notes
- Place beef in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. This easy meal can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Be sure to let it cool completely before adding it to a freezer safe container. And allow it to defrost before reheating.
- Nutritional values do not include buns.
- Any flavor of barbecue sauce can be used.
- Instead of beef broth, root beer or dr pepper can be used.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
So the beef broth goes in with the spices and brown sugar? Also, the salt is 1 1/2 teaspoons? Thanks
Hi! The salt is 1 1/2 teaspoon. And add the beef broth at the beginning. Thanks for letting me know.
Can I cook it on high an not low, how long will it take then
It varies depending on the exact size of your roast. I would say 5 hours on high.